Copyright ghanamma

By Jibril Abdul Mumuni Accra, Oct. 21, GNA- The staff of the Korean Embassy and Korean agencies in Ghana have benefited from a comprehensive life support and first aid training. The exercise forms part of efforts to ensure timely and effective response to emergencies within the Korean community and complements Ghana’s broader push to enhance public awareness and preparedness for emergency situations. The event was held at the premises of the Korean Embassy in Accra. The training was a special collaboration between the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) and the Ghana National Ambulance Service. Mr. Alhassan Mohammed Mashud, the Head of Special Operations and Emergency Preparedness at the National Ambulance Service, highlighted the significance of the training, noting that it contributed to improving emergency awareness among the populace. “A few years back when we started Ambulance Service, the awareness was so very low… out of 100 per cent , I would say about 40% are now aware about the emergency situations in the country,” he stated. He said only about 30 per cent of Ghanaians knew the appropriate steps to take when an incident, such as a road traffic accident or cardiac arrest occured. Mr. Mashoud stressed the need for the public to call the emergency number, 112, and remain on the line to receive guidance from the dispatch centre while an ambulance is on route for rescue. He also cautioned bystanders against rushing to remove casualties from accident scenes, explaining that improper handling often leds to “further injury, which could cause paralysis to some of the victims, and even resulting in death.” Mr. Mashud disclosed that the lack of advanced technology to precisely locate callers in emergency situations, forced the service to rely on Google location sharing or landmark descriptions from callers. He made a strong case for advocacy and sponsorship to acquire modern location-tracing technology. Mr. Bomin Yang, the Country Director of the KOFIH office, affirmed that the training was designed to support the “Korean people and Korean agencies in Ghana.“As an Official Development Assistance (ODA) agency under Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, KOFIH saw the provision of basic life support and first aid training to embassy and agency staff as a necessary health-support measure.’ “At least now our family, our agencies, our Korean agencies and embassy staff can save the lives of their families. So I feel this is very successful.” Mr. Yang said. He indicated that while KOFIH was primarily an ODA agency supporting Ghana’s Ministry of Health with professional training in maternal and child health care and biomedical engineering, the event marked the first time such training had been extended to the Korean community. Mr. Yang announced plans to hold a similar training event for Korean residents in Tema next month. GNA21 Oct. 2025Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong